B2
SPORTS
Wallowa County Chieftain
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Steve Tool/Chieftain
CONTACT — Wallowa Valley baseball player Christopher Nobles, smacks one in the batting cage on the pavillion in the Joseph Charter School gym. Coach Mark Ramsden said
the team has 18 players, including five from Elgin. Ramsden doesn’t expect to practice outdoors for about two more weeks due to leftover snow, but the squad is anxious to
start the season.
WALLOWA VALLEY BASEBALL IS
FLYING HIGH
By Steve Tool
Wallowa County Chieftain
UP NEXT:
fter missing their first three games due
to inclement weather, the Wallowa Val-
ley boys baseball team celebrated their
opener with twin victories over the
Baker High School JV squad. The dou-
bleheader took place in Baker City on Friday, March
22 with the boys bringing only 12 players to the bat-
tle. The game schedule conflicted with an FFA event.
Wallowa Valley took the first game 9-7 with Trace
Collier getting the win in relief while Gus Ramsden
earned a save as the closer. The team has yet to find
a permanent scorekeeper, so individual stats were
unavailable.
The second game saw more of the same as Trace
Collier again got the win as he pitched the innings
four, five and six. Sophomore David Salim earned the
save in the seventh inning as the team scored nine runs
A
Thursday, March 28 – March 30: Boys
play three games at the Grant Union Les
Schwab Tournament in John Day starting
vs. Bandon
in the last two innings to seal the final victory. Gus
Ramsden led the team offensively and defensively
over the duration while encouraging younger players
while taking a leadership role on the field.
“It was a good start,” said coach JR Collier. “The
biggest story for us is we actually haven’t practiced
outside yet. Our first time on the field this year was at
the game.” He added that the day before the games the
team managed about a half hour of fly ball practice on
the grass at the Enterprise Little League fields.
“Going in knowing we literally hadn’t done any
any base-running or full outfield or situational infield-
ing, we’re really happy to come out with wins,” Col-
lier said. He added that the indoor practice may have
actually helped because it forced the squad to concen-
trate on fundamentals such as ball handling and hitting.
“Everybody hit well; even though we fell behind
in the middle of both games,” Collier said. “We didn’t
have any infield errors in either game.” He also said
“the squad has a very motivated pack of freshmen and
sophomores who were a pleasure to watch.”
Although the scores don’t indicate it, the squad
played “small ball,” which saw the team moving run-
ners by well-placed bunts. “We played functional
baseball, and it worked,” Collier said. “It was great to
see because it was effective, and the kids did what they
needed to do.”
The boys next play three games at the Grant Union
Les Schwab Tournament in John Day starting versus
Bandon on Thursday, March 28 and running through
March 30.
Underclassmen propel Cubs in opening week
By Steve Tool
Wallowa County Chieftain
The Wallowa Valley Cubs
had a successful 3-2 start to
their season despite never
having set foot outside in
practice. The Cubs opened
their season with five games
in a week starting with a
13-3 loss to Union on Tues-
day, March 19, before pick-
ing up the slack.
The Union contest saw
promise, particularly the
freshman, despite the lop-
sided score.
Union is pretty solid,”
Coach Gary Gassett said. “It
was also the first time our
girls faced any live pitching.”
Liz Rowley and Lexie
Gassett pitched a pair of
innings each. Offensively,
sophomore slugger Claire
Farwell went 2 for 3, pro-
viding half of the team’s
hits. Rylin Kirkland was 1
for 3 and freshman Emma
Bateman was 1 for 1.
“She’s (Bateman) getting
pretty good,” the coach said.
“The whole team looked
good considering they hadn’t
been outside.”
‘WE’VE GOT SOME REALLY GOOD
FRESHMEN.…
I THINK THINGS ARE GOING
TO COME TOGETHER, AND IF
THE FRESHMEN CONTINUE
TO LEARN ON THE FLY, WE’RE
GOING TO BE GOOD.’
Coach Gary Gassett
Steve Tool/Chieftain
Wallowa Valley Cubs coach Gary Gassett is optimistic about
his young squad.
Underclassmen led the
way for the Cubs during a
10-8 come-from-behind vic-
tory in the opening game of
a twin bill over Pilot Rock at
the Rocket Invite on Thurs-
day, March 21. Pitcher Lexie
Gassett tossed a solid game
with five strikeouts while
doling out five hits and only
two earned runs.
On the slugging side,
Farwell gave the oppos-
ing pitcher plenty of wor-
ries as she batted her way to
a 3 for 4 plate performance.
To add insult to injury, she
also knocked in three RBIs
while scoring three runs of
her own.
“She’s going to do well,”
Coach Gassett said. Fresh-
man Liz Rowley went 2 for 4
and scored twice. Freshman
Aysia Salim also added two
hits, as did Lexie Gassett.
Vernonia met the same
fate in the bottom end of the
doubleheader as they fell to
the Cubs, 11-3. Again, Gas-
sett went the distance, fan-
ning eight Vernonians while
giving up only a pair of
earned runs.
Freshman Rylin Kirk-
land went an amazing 3
for 4 with a run and a pair
of RBIs while Salim again
went 2 for 4 while adding
two RBIs. Farwell notched
her belt with a 2 for 5 per-
formance while scoring a
run and swatting a RBI.
Saturday saw the Cub-
bies again prevailing, this
time in a 4-3 squeaker ver-
sus Lost River. Liz Row-
ley gave Gassett a break
on the mound, compiling
five strikeouts and doling
out three earned runs. Far-
well had the big stick, going
3 for 4 while also scoring
the go-ahead run to end the
game. Hardly the largest
player on the squad, Farwell
went to the plate with two
down in the bottom of the
seventh and the score tied
3-3 and smacked a tremen-
dous triple and scored on
a passed ball to secure the
victory.
“She’s tearing it up,”
the coach said of her
performance.
The final tournament
game saw the Lexie Gas-
sett-less Cubs fall to neme-
sis Grant Union, 11-0. The
Cubs had only two hits,
both by underclassmen,
with Kirkland going 1 for
2 and Ellie Collier with a 1
for 1 performance.
The Prospectors are
solid,” Coach Gassett said.
They’re going to be in the
state playoffs.”
“We’ve got some really
good freshmen,” Gasset
said. “Four of six are start-
ing, so we’ll be really good
for awhile.” He noted the
freshman are picking up
concepts quickly and the
squad is already defensively
ahead of last year’s club.
“I think things are going
to come together, and if the
freshmen continue to learn
on the fly, we’re going to be
good.”